Vamo stopped working!!!

[QBerry21]

So about 20min ago, as I'm about to leave to go to the store to pick up a few things, I get up out of my chair and reach for my Vamo and it tips over and falls about a foot and a half onto my wooden desk chair. I caught it before it could roll off the chair and hit the floor, but apparently it was already too late... As I grabbed it and went for a vape I noticed somethings horribly wrong. It wasn't firing correctly anymore! Everything still lit up and functioned correctly on the screen and buttons, but it wasn't putting anything out. I works extremely minuscule, and when I say extremely minuscule, I mean it! I'll take about a 10sec super slow toot on it and just the tiniest of puffs come out. I changed the battery with a fresh one, still nothing. I changed the atty, still nothing. I don't know what else to do! Heeeeelp me! 8-o
Does anyone have any ideas or have had anything similar happen to them? Luckily I still have my trusty green SB and an ego as a backup, but I seriously fell in love with my Vamo... and now she's dead. lol

 

[mwa102464]

See if you pushed your top connector pin down to much and if so raise it up a smidgen and try another Atty, also recheck all your settings, just a couple of quick thoughts.

 

[QBerry21]

See if you pushed your top connector pin down to much and if so raise it up a smidgen and try another Atty, also recheck all your settings, just a couple of quick thoughts.

Thanks, but I've already checked all of the settings. I made sure it was still set to RMS mode, tried it on VW and switched it over to VV. I also just checked to top connector pin and raised it slightly anyways and put a new atty on it. Nothing... ... lol

 

[Underwhelmed]

Check your spring to make sure it didn't partially collapse.

 

[Jack_AG]

You can pull the top cap off CAREFULLY and wiggle the main board out of there and check for any loose wires, etc:
Vamo first impression and disassembly how to - YouTube

 

[QBerry21]

Check your spring to make sure it didn't partially collapse.

Well I checked the spring and it's fine. But if it were partially collapsed then the device actually shouldn't even turn on because it wouldn't have a full circuit connection. The Vamo turns on just fine, it just won't fire correctly...

You can pull the top cap off CAREFULLY and wiggle the main board out of there and check for any loose wires, etc:
Vamo first impression and disassembly how to - YouTube

Thanks, I'll get on this tomorrow. It's pretty late over here in FL right now. Quick question though; if there are any loose wires, am I going to have to solder them back on? Because I definitely don't have the right equipment for that lol

 

[QBerry21]

Maybe it's just time to retire the Vamo and get the Kick for my SB I just really enjoyed having the slenderness and versatility of the Vamo.

 

[Jack_AG]

Thanks, I'll get on this tomorrow. It's pretty late over here in FL right now. Quick question though; if there are any loose wires, am I going to have to solder them back on? Because I definitely don't have the right equipment for that lol

If needed, soldering iron and solder are cheap and extremely easy to do.

Maybe it's just time to retire the Vamo and get the Kick for my SB I just really enjoyed having the slenderness and versatility of the Vamo.

Well if you are going to retire it - Frankenstein it, first. Try taking it apart and fixing it, especially if you're calling it dead. If you break it even more - you're in the same spot as you were in earlier. If you fix it - you're 1 up at that point!

 

[QBerry21]

Jack, I just checked Amazon to see how much they are and was surprised that I could get a 60 watt soldering iron for under $8 lol and you're right, I'll probably just end up Frankensteining the crap out of it.

If anyone else has some ideas on whats up with it, please let me know.

 

[Fenitok]

Qberry did you try to open it? and managed to fix it?
I ask because just today i put my vamo in the floor standing up and accidentally hit it and fell to its side. Now the output voltage (whether on VV or VW mode and no matter what i set it to) is always is at 4v. The exact same symptoms that happened to you. Lit up just fine, etc etc but not working right... Effectively making this an old ego battery with the "oh so weak" vape... /cry

I tried opening it the way the video showed but for the life of me I just couldn't. I'm about to throw this thing out the window

 

[realist81]

As of 20 minutes ago i was putting in my IGO-L and my Vamo stopped working. Same exact thing as the OP except i didnt drop it.

So I went ahead and took it apart and I dont see anything physically wrong. I know it has something to do with the center pin but when i took it apart its just a pin soldered to a wire which are connected and soldered fine, no breakage. Im wondering if the pin is grounding out.

Update: There is a rubber ring the keeps the center pin/positive wire from touching the ground wall. There is a small tear in it. Also the surface of the center pin contact does not gripping the 'press-in area and thats what is shorting. I'm not able to fix it but i was able to re-seat the rubber o-ring for the center pin and put everything back together and it only work if I screw on my atty loosely.

This all started by screwwing on the IGO-L to tightly. I noticed it never sat flush and wiggled/moved a bit so i tightened it down with not even that much force and my ohm reading went to 0.0ohm

Here are some pics:

 

[realist81]

I put 2-3 thin layers of super glue as a insulator and spot glues the rubber ring. Gonna wait until this dry and slap it back together.


LEARNED: At least with VAMO, do NOT over tighten and wiggle around the atty when screwed in place. This cause the rubber to break and cause a short. Please excuse the narled marks on the Vamo head. I used a cloth and channel lock plyers to try to remove the connector end and it was not coming off. I ended yp putting it in a vice and getting a small flat-haed screw driver and hitting the edges all around until it popped off.

Hope this helps someone else out there.

 

[gaffer]

I also had an issue with the insulator, IDK if that is related to the OPs problem. If it is reading the resistance correctly then that is not the problem... But if you get some very low OHM reading then your insulator is bad (i had an adapter that got over tightened and it pushed the insulator up and out, even after replacing it if i put anything that puts too much pressure on it it will short out... so i just ended up using it as an excuse to buy a provari).

 

[Salm12]

I've had issues with my Vamo as well. I did drop it about 3 feet onto a tile floor. It stopped working totally for a while. Now it works as long as I do the shake it then it'll turn off, not totally sure how to go about fixing that issue though.